Geronis developing first-in-class biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer and chronic degenerative diseases, including spinal cord injury, heart failure and diabetes. The company is advancing an anti-cancer drug and a cancer vaccine that target the enzyme telomerase through multiple clinical trials in different cancers.

Incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1990, Geron has been in business since 1992. Our headquarters and main facilities are located in Menlo Park, California. Geron Bio-Med Limited is our wholly-owned subsidiary located in Edinburgh, Scotland. TA Therapeutics, Limited is our majority-owned subsidiary located in Hong Kong.

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that accumulate in the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells.

Alzheimer's Disease: Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, fatal, degenerative disorder that attacks the neurons in the brain, resulting in loss of memory, cognitive function such as reasoning and language, and behavioral changes. The disease starts with the loss of neural connections, called synapses, in the hippocampus, affecting memory, and progresses to the cortex affecting language and thought.

Antiplatelet: Medication, including aspirin and newer agents used to prevent clumping together of platelets, one of the first things to occur in artery clotting. Platelet clumping is a risk factor for stroke.

Autologous refers to cells, tissues or even proteins that are reimplanted in the same individual as they come from. Bone marrow, skin biopsy, cartilage, and bone can be used as autografts.

A Chromosome is a part of a cell in an animal or plant. It contains genes which determine what characteristics the animal or plant will have.

Cytogenetics is a branch of genetics that is concerned with the study of the structure and function of the cell, especially the chromosomes.

Dendritic is a short branch at the end of a nerve cell, which receives signals from other cells.

Ecchymosis is the escape of blood from ruptured blood vessels into the surrounding tissue to form a purple or black-and-blue spot on the skin.

Lysosome: A sac-like compartment inside a cell that has enzymes that can break down cellular components that need to be destroyed.

Macrophages: A large cell that acts as a scavenger, helping the immune system to destroy foreign agents.

Remission If someone who has had a serious disease such as cancer is in remission or if the disease is in remission, the disease has been controlled so that they are not as ill as they were.

T cells or T lymphocytes belong to a group of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, and play a central role in cell-mediated immunity. They can be distinguished from other lymphocyte types, such as B cells and natural killer cells by the presence of a special receptor on their cell surface called T cell receptors (TCR).

Thrombocytopenic purpura A systemic illness characterized by extensive ecchymoses and hemorrhages from mucous membranes and very low platelet counts; resulting from platelet destruction by macrophages due to an antiplatelet factor; childhood cases are usually brief and rarely present with intracranial hemorrhages, but adult cases are often recurrent and have a higher incidence of grave bleeding, especially intracranial.

Transfection of animal cells typically involves opening transient pores or "holes" in the cell membrane, to allow the uptake of material. Genetic material (such as supercoiled plasmid DNA or siRNA constructs), or even proteins such as antibodies, may be transfected.

NOTE: Definitions found with Google. All comments or suggestions are welcome.

Geron is traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol GERN. The current chief executive officer is Dr. Thomas B. Okarma, M.D., Ph.D. It was included in the SCCC Index, a 15 stock index of companies important "to the field of stem cell, cloning, and cell transplantation research and medicine" when that index was created in 2003 and as of July 2006 comprises 18.42% of the index[4].

The company specializes in developing and commercialization of products in three specific areas: 1) therapeutic products for cancer that inhibit telomerase; 2) pharmaceuticals that activate telomerase in tissues impacted by cell aging, injury or degenerative diseases; and 3) cell-based therapies derived from human embryonic stem cells for treatment of various chronic diseases[5].

Currently, Geron Corporation has two anti-cancer products in human clinical trials. The first, called GRN163L, is a drug that targets telomerase and has been shown to be effective in treating various cancers in animals[6]. In studies conducted at Johns Hopkins University GRN163L was active against both CD138+ and CD138neg cancer stem cells and eliminated the colony forming potential of both by five weeks. Similarly, GRN163L inhibited the in vitro clonogenic growth of CD138neg Multiple Myeloma Cancer Stem Cells isolated from the bone marrow aspirates of patients with Multiple Myeloma. Geron has started human clinical trials and is testing GRN163L in patients with lymphocytic leukemia[7]. Presently Geron is recruiting patients for six clinical trials using GRN163L, including lung cancer[8], chronic lymphocytic leukemia[9], solid tumors[10].Also in trials at Duke University is GRNVAC1, a telomerase vaccine being used on patients with prostate cancer. With the vaccine, Geron plans to inject telomerase into the patient with metastatic prostate cancer to induce the body to produce a more aggressive immune response to the cancer. This vaccine has also produced significant initial results. Geron's progress with these telomerase drugs has been significant enough to have elicited a significant monetary investment in 2005 from Merck[11].

In addition to testing drug candidates that exploit cancer cell's dependence on telomerase, Geron is researching the possible applications of activating the enzyme in normal cells to delay cellular senescence. The company is in the early stages of developing a telomerase based treatment for HIV called TAT0002 from astragalus which is actually the saponin cycloastragenol in Astragalus[12]. Geron has granted a license to TAsciences.com to sell TA-65, the telomerase activator agent derived from the Chinese astragalus plant.

On January 23, 2009, Geron received FDA approval to begin Phase I testing of GRNOPC1 in humans [13]. GRNOPC1 is an embryonic stem cell based drug that is designed to treat spinal cord injuries. Animal tests have shown significant restoration of mobility in animals with spinal injuries that were treated with this drug [14]. Geron also has several other embryonic stem cell treatments that are still in the preclinical phase, including GRNCM1, a treatment for heart disease, and GRNIC1, a treatment for diabetes. In tests with diabetic mice, 80% of the mice given GRNIC1 were still alive in 50 days while the entire control group, which was given no treatment, perished[15].

Since it was organized in 1990 Geron has been granted over 260 patents

Geron Corporation's patents in stem cell technology

Geron Corporation initially held exclusive rights to three cell types derived from embryonic stem cells, as the result of paying for the research originally conducted by Dr. James Thomson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[17] The patents on the other three cell types are owned by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). WARF and Geron did not charge academics to study human stem cells but did charge commercial users. In 2001 WARF came under public pressure to widen access to human stem-cell technology, and they launched legal action against Geron Corporation to recover some of the previously sold rights. The two sides agreed that Geron would keep the rights to only three cell types.[18]

In October 2006, a legal challenge was mounted to overturn these patents by The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights and the non-profit patent-watchdog Public Patent Foundation.[19] They contended that two of the patents granted to WARF are invalid because they cover a technique published in 1992 for which a patent had already been granted to an Australian researcher. Another part of the challenge came from the molecular biologist Jeanne Loring who stated that University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell pioneer James Thomson's techniques (currently patents held by WARF) are rendered obvious by a 1990 paper and two textbooks.[20] The outcome of this legal challenge was particularly relevant to the Geron Corporation as it can only license patents that are upheld.[21] The patents were ultimately upheld when the reexamination concluded in 2008.[22]

As an interim measure, on January 23, 2007 WARF relaxed the stem cell patents, allowing industry-sponsored research at academic and non-profit institutions without a license.[23] WARF will allow easier and simpler cost free cell transfers among researchers and would not require a license or agreement from California's taxpayer-funded stem cell research program.[24]

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